Base-ball-game apparatus.



P. T. SIMMONS. BASE BALL GAME APPARATUS. I APPLICAT ION FILED MAY 22. 1914. v L153fl'19, PatentedSept. 14, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEE1 I.

- 8 arrow r101,

P. T. SIMMONS.

BASE BALL GAMEAPPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED 'MAY22. 1914.

Patented Sept. 14, 1915.

attozucg catching devices; 1

fToall whomitmay concern: v 'Be' it known that I, PARKER a citizen oftheUnited-Statesfresiding at; A ttlebo'ro Falls, in-theIcounty of Bristoland State of Massachusettsfhave invented new and useful Improvements in Base-Ball Game Apparatus, of which thefollowing-is a specification"- The invention relatesto parlor'base ball Help" i v IAItKER T. sImMo1 \rs, or AT'rLnnono FALLS, MASSACHUSETTS.

games of the/type inwhich a board is pro- 1 vided having a diamond and field depicted" thereon, and including a device for pitching a small ball and. another-for batting it,- and it is'a particular 'objectito improve the con- ,15

It'is sought to simplify thejmounting 1 other structural details the pitchingand struction'of the pitchingland batting devices.

.'.A further i "portant objecti's. to provide an improved pitching). device, particularly 1 with regard toits accuracy.

ed to deliver aball at any predetermined ,trate'd in the drawings, in which,

. Figure. 1 is a plan view of a game constructed; in accordance with my invention." Fig; 2 is aside elevation of the pitcher, in

-detail. Fi 3 is a front view thereof. Fig. P 4 isa detafi of the batter. Fig. 5 -is a. detail of the batter mounting. Fig. 6 a detail of the back stop. f Ti s-a detail of one of the fieldcups. Fig. 8 isalon-gitudi'nal sectional 'VJGW. i a

' There is illustrated a rectangular game board 10 having at each 'corner a removablepin 11, set vertically on the board, a'strip 4 of cloth 12beingstretched around'these pins At a proper point adjacent one end of the board a base ball diamond 13 to form a fence.

is printed or otherwise indicated,.having the nsualb'ases indicated thereon. Adjacent the first base and a little to the left there is a catching device 14, comprisinga strip of sheet metal'having partly conical form secured upon the board with its large endpresen-ted toward the home plate 15. A little T. sinuous,

levation and {its direction variedfat' ,Will, within a c'ertain 1i1nit.' Additional objects and advantages will] appear, some of which will be apparent in the construction, arrangement and combina tionof "parts herein described, and illus;

similar one I6 is also "located a little ,tothe left of thesecond base. The latter is desig-' -stops 18, 19,, "and '20 are located in' the field A, belng singlar to, but slightly'larger than,

the one..14 ove described.

ingabat 23 having a radius of-actionincluding the home plate. The pitching de- '24 over the home plate .or close beside it,

and immediately behind the home plate there It is a valuable attainment of the inven-' -tion.thatthe pitchingjdevice maybe adjustis provided a large stop device .25 corre flspond-ing tothe catcher, by which the .ball will be caught when projected along certainlines. I ocated so as to bebetween two intheradius of action of. thebat past the sem nmel -w Patented Sept. 14, 1915 applicants fil ed May 22, 1914. 'sefiaino; 810,275.

' "to of the second and third bases I slmllar stops .lo and 17 3 are attached A- A pitcher device 21 i-s mounted centrally .-of;the diamond, and a batting-device 22 is Y mounted adjacent thehome plate 15,-includ-' straight l-ines'projec'tedfroma medial point i stop ,18 at respectivesides, there is a cup 26 located-adjacent the end of the board farthest' from thediamond. Cups 27 and 28 are located on the board in a similar relation to [the stops 19 and 20. Located a little nearer the diamond cups 29 and 30'are fixed in the'field intermediately of the field stops 1s, 1 9,and"20. The cups-26 to 30 inclusive are each stamped integrally 'from sheetmetal and have aprojecting lip or flange 31 setain the face of the board 10, a suitable o enin bein bored in the board to receive p D b the cup proper. If desired, the cups may be open at the bottom, for the passage-of the ball therethrough, and openings 32 maybe formed centrally of all of the stops, leading through the board to a space 33 formed thereunder and having an inclined floor 34: I

I by which the balls are led under action of gravity to one side of the device.

,1 The pitcher device comprises a plate 35 including a foot-piece 36 secured upon the upper side of the board, and an integral vertical portion 37 approximately aline with'the home plate, being also located centrally of the diamond 18. This vertical portion of the plate includes a central circular lobe 39 having a concentric opening therein, a grip portion 40 at what may be termed the rear end of the plate, and aend, between which and the lobe 38 the en-. larged end 44 of a pitching arm 45 is rev olubly mounted, being suitably apertured for the purpose. At the outer endof this arm there is formed a suitable cup 46,

adapted to receive and loosely hold the ball 24 when in set position. In this position,

the arm extends rearwardly at a slightinclination, and has connected thereto at an intermediate point a spring 47 attached to the anchorage 41 under tension tending to throw the arm forcibly forward. For holding the arm in set position, a cam portion 48 is formed thereon rearwardly of the arm, its maximum radius being adjacent the arm,

Where a notch 49 is formed, adapted to receive the bill. 50 of a trigger 51 ivoted adjacent the lower part of the 10 e 39, and

having a finger piece 52 extending rearwardly beside the grip portion 40, before mentioned. At its forward side the enlarged end of the arm 45 is provided with an extension 53, having a curved forward edge 54, and mounted revolubly on the vertical portion of the plate in the path of this extension there is a cam 55, by which the limit of the stroke of the arm may be fixed. This cam may be simply clamped releasably to the plate, or may be mounted upon a revoluble key 56, so that a player may vary the direction of the ball at will by turning the key. Also, the direction of the ball may be varied laterally by slightly flexing the vertical'portion of the plate, the resiliency of the metal permitting this without becoming deformed within the. necessary limits. It will be possible to accomplish this flexure at the same time that the trigger is operated, without difliculty, the finger piece 52 being operable by the thumb, lateral pressure of which will at the same time flex the plate in one direction, while the fore-finger may be used to flex the plate in the opposite direction simultaneously with the operation of the trigger. L

The batting device comprises a standard 57 formed of crimped sheet metal, the lower end being slightly stretched at'the sides and extended in a horizontal foot-piece 58 secured by screws to the surface of the board 10. The foot-piece is provided with a central aperture 59, in which there is set one end of a helical spring 60 coiled around the standard 57, the upper end being disposed against the rear side of a bat member 61 formed of a planiform plate of sheet metal having its inner, end 62' curved around the standard 57 The upper end of the standard 57 is flanged to preventcasual removal of the bat.

Owing to the general familiarity with games of this character, it will be unnecessary to explain how it may be played, except to say that the bat is to be operated preferably by the pressure of the left thumb of one player while the pitching device is operated by another player. The bat is formed with a rounded outer end against which the thumb may be pressed. The force of the blow of the batmay be governed by moving it in areverse direction one or'more turns, and when released the spring 60 completely spends itself.

The cup 26 being most likely of the three outermost ones to be entered by the ball, is given a value of a two-basehit, thecentral one 27 being the most diificult of entry is given a value of a home run while the cup 28 is given a value of a three-base hit. The cups 29 and 30 having a comparatively clear passage from the bat are called outs invention will be possible Without depart-. ing from the spirit of the vention.

The specific construction of the bat and pitcher mounting enables the production of these parts and their assembly at a very low cost, and at the same time they represent highly eflicient devices. 1

In practice, it has been found possible to produce this device in a large size with eminently satisfactory results, and it also operates well when constructed in smaller sizes. Thus, the board has, in some cases, been made three by six feet in plan, and also about half this size.

What is claimed:

1. In an apparatus of the class described,

, a pitcher device comprising a horizontal foot plate, an integral resilient upstanding plate thereon, an arm having an enlarged base pivoted on the upstanding plate and provided with a ball receiving cup at the outer end, a spring anchored upon the plate and engagingthe arm for movement thereof in one direction, the enlargement of the arm having a cam portion at its rear side terminating in a notch at its major radius, a trigger device pivoted on the plate and having a bill to engage the notch and an integral grip portion on the upstanding plate adapted to be grasped With the trigger, as descrlbed. I

2. In a pitching device a support, an m oscgating igaill'm carrieild theregy, means for nesses. osc' atin e arm t e arm avin a stop J portion, s cam devihe mounted revfiubly on 1 ARKER SIMMONS 5 the support in the path of the stop portion Witnesses:

of the arm, and means to adjust the cam. GEORGE L. CoNNERs, In testimony whereof I have hereunto set WILLIAM W. STAYSER.

y hand in presence of two subscribing wit- 

